The present disclosure relates to heart valve repair and, in particular, to structures for reinforcing heart valves. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to devices and methods for repairing the functionality of native valve leaflets.
Diseased and/or defective heart valves may lead to serious health complications. One method of addressing this condition is to replace a non-functioning heart valve with a prosthetic valve. Prosthetic heart valves that are collapsible to a relatively small circumferential size can be delivered into a patient less invasively than valves that are not collapsible. For example, a collapsible valve may be delivered into a patient via a tube-like delivery apparatus such as a catheter, a trocar, a laparoscopic instrument, or the like. This collapsibility can avoid the need for a more invasive procedure such as full open-chest, open-heart surgery.
In some instances, it may be undesirable to replace the native heart valve with a prosthetic device. Instead, devices and methods may be desirable to restore functionality to a non-functioning native valve.